Indiana University Football’s Donaven McCulley enters the Transfer Portal
Last year’s breakout wide receiver for Indiana has become a midseason transfer portal casualty. Donaven McCulley is no longer listed on the program’s roster and will enter the transfer portal. The 6-foot-5 McCulley posted a 48 catch, 644 yard and six touchdown 2023 season. McCulley also entered the portal after the 2023 season and the resulting coaching change but decided to return to play for new head coach Curt Cignetti. Cignetti and his staff loaded up the receiver room during the offseason with a number of veterans from the portal. It was clear in the season opener vs. Florida International McCulley was not at the top of the depth chart. He suffered an injury in that game and missed week two. Because he has only appeared in four games, McCulley will be able to play a redshirt season in 2025 wherever he transfers. McCulley posted just two catches for 21 yards and a score this season.
Cignetti made multiple remarks during the offseason hinting at a disconnect involving player and coach. “I think Donaven needs to pick it up a little bit,” Cignetti said in April. Again, in July at Big Ten media day, the first-year IU head coach seemed less than pleased with McCulley. “He needs to continue to develop, play in and play out,” Cignetti said. “I don’t want him to be a sometime guy. I want him to be every down, every play guy, that we can count on.” For his part, McCulley said during fall camp he wanted to be challenged by the new staff. “I told (Cignetti) to coach me hard,” McCulley said in August. “Do what you need to do. Him getting on me in the spring and challenging me helped me really learn how he operates and learn how the team operates. I took the initiative to really get in my playbook more and master the playbook.” Indiana has three wide receivers with nine or more receptions through five games — Elijah Sarratt, Myles Price, Omar Cooper, Miles Cross, and Ke’Shawn Williams. Cooper and McCulley were high school teammates at Lawrence North H.S. in central Indiana.
Indiana’s Oumar Ballo named 1st team Preseason All-Big Ten
Indiana sixth-year Senior Center Oumar Ballo was named to the Preseason All-Big Ten Team as determined by a media vote, the league announced on Tuesday afternoon. Ballo, a transfer from Arizona, was twice named to the All-Pac-12 First Team, a two-time All-Pac-12 Tournament Team selection, a 2023-24 All-Pac-12 Defensive Team addition, and was tabbed as the Pac-12 Most Improved Player following the 2022-23 season. He was also touted as the Preseason Big Ten Newcomer of the Year, Preseason All-Big Ten, and Preseason All-America Fourth Team by Blue Ribbon Yearbook. The Koulikoro, Mali, native averaged 11.2 points, 7.7 rebounds, and 1.2 blocked shots in three seasons with the Wildcats. He shot 64.6% (466-of-721) from the floor and collected 34 career double-doubles. The 7-0, 265-pound center holds a record of 112-20 in 132 games played throughout his collegiate career.
PRESEASON PLAYER OF THE YEAR- Braden Smith, Purdue
PRESEASON ALL-BIG TEN TEAM Ace Baldwin Jr., Penn State Oumar Ballo, Indiana Brooks Barnhizer, Northwestern Dawson Garcia, Minnesota Dylan Harper, Rutgers Great Osobor, Washington Payton Sandfort, Iowa Jackson Shelstad, Oregon BRADEN SMITH, PURDUE Bruce Thornton, Ohio State UNANIMOUS SELECTION
Three Indiana University Football reserve defensive players no longer with the Program
Veterans leaving programs midseason with the intent to enter the transfer portal has become a trend in college football. Why? Players who are seeing action in games, generally as reserves or on special teams, decide to preserve a season of eligibility by taking a redshirt season. As a reminder, the college football rules changed a few years ago, allowing players to take a redshirt season if they played in four games or less. For players who still have their redshirt available, a midseason trip to the portal provides the opportunity to salvage a season and seek a larger role elsewhere. That appears to be why linebacker Nahji Logan, safety Tyrik McDaniel and linebacker Joshua Rudolph all no longer appear on the Indiana’s official roster at iuhoosiers.com. Logan and McDaniel played in four games this season. Rudolph did not see any action. A source confirms all three are no longer with the program. On3’s Pete Nakos reported Tuesday McDaniel and Logan will enter the transfer portal. Presumably, Rudolph will do the same.
With the departures of Logan and Rudolph, Indiana’s depth at middle linebacker took a hit. To this point, starters Aiden Fisher and Jailin Walker have seen the majority of the snaps. Isaiah Jones and freshman Rolijah Hardy appear to be the twos on the depth chart. Logan transferred in from UMass in May. He appeared to have a good chance to factor into the rotation. He was named to the College Football Network All-Independent Defense Team (Second Team – LB) in 2023. Logan competed in all 12 games for the Minutemen in 2023, totaling a team-leading 60 tackles (30 solo, 30 assisted), four tackles for loss for 11 yards, 0.5 sack, one QB hurry and a pass breakup. McDaniel transferred to IU from junior college prior to the 2023 season. In a reserve and special teams’ role, appeared in all 12 games a year ago, and four this year. Rudolph transferred to IU from Austin Peay prior to the 2023 season. He appeared in all 12 games last season and registered 18 tackles. Beyond Fisher, Walker, Jones and Hardy, IU has Kaiden Turner and Quentin Clark as scholarship middle linebackers. Walk-on Jeff Utzinger has made a strong impression on the staff as well.
Parings Announced for the IHSAA Girls and Boys Soccer State Tournaments
Pairings were announced for the 31st annual IHSAA Girls and Boys Soccer State Tournament Sunday Evening with a record 280 Girls Teams and 311 Boys Teams set to battle it out on the pitch for the next four weeks. Both Tournaments mirror each other with 16 Sectionals in each of the three classes running October 7-12. Regional Semifinals will be played on October 16-17 with the Regional Championship games on October 19. The Semi States will be played on October 26 at four sites around the state. The State Championships will be held November 1-2 at Michael A. Carroll Stadium on the Campus of IU Indianapolis and assignments will be made after the Semi State Matches.
In the Girls Soccer Sectional Draws. Class 3A at Terre Haute North will have Martinsville will battle Terre Haute North at 6 PM and Bloomington North will take on Terre Haute South at 8 PM in the first round on Tuesday with the winners advancing to the Semifinals to face each other on Thursday at 5:30 PM while Bedford North Lawrence takes on Bloomington South in the Second Semifinal at 7:30 PM with the Championship game scheduled for 2 PM Saturday Afternoon. Class 2A at Cascade will see archrivals Owen Valley and Edgewood will battle in the first game at 5 PM with Danville taking on Northview at 7 PM in the first round Tuesday with the winners advancing to face each other in the Semifinals on Thursday at 5 PM while Cascade and West Vigo battle in the second semifinal at 7 PM with the Championship Game scheduled for 2 PM.
In the Boys Sectional Draws Class 3A at Bloomington South will see in the In the First Round Monday at 6 PM Bloomington North vs Terre Haute North and at 8 PM it’s Bloomington South vs Terre Haute South with the winners advancing to the Semifinals to face each other at 6 PM Wednesday Night as Mooresville and Martinsville will face each other in the second semifinal at 8 PM with the Championship game scheduled for 7 PM Saturday Evening. Class 2A at Edgewood in the First Round Monday at 5:30 PM Indian Creek will take on Cascade followed by Danville battling Edgewood at 7:30 PM in the first round with the winners advancing to the Semifinals to face each other Wednesday at 5:30 PM while Monrovia and Brown County will face off in the second semifinal at 7:30 PM with the Championship game scheduled at 7 PM Saturday Evening. Class 1A at White River Valley will see Lighthouse Christian will battle Mitchell 5:30 PM and Shoals will take on Bloomfield 7:30 PM in the first round Monday with the winners advancing to the Semifinals to face each other Wednesday at 5:30 PM while White River Valley and Eastern Greene face off in the second semifinal at 7:30 PM with the Championship Game scheduled for Saturday Evening at 7 PM.
Bloomington South Girls Golf Finishes 12th at Regionals
Bloomington South finished 12th with a score of 430 at the IHSAA Girls Golf Regional on Monday at the Legends Golf Course in Franklin hosted by Franklin Community High School. Edgewood’s Boston Chambers shot a 110 to tie for 61st and neither the Panthers nor Chambers will advance to state finals. Melanie Southern was the top individual for Bloomington South shooting an 81 and tied for 11th in the individual standings. Franklin won the Regional with a score of 319, Batesville finished second with 321 and Center Grove finished third with 327 as the top three advance to the State Finals this Friday and Saturday at the Prairie View Golf Club in Carmel. It’s the 7th Regional Championship for Franklin and the first since 1999. Franklin won in 1985 and reeled off five straight regional titles from 1995-99. East Central’s Rowan Pies won the Individual Title with a score of 68. Paige Giovenco of Floyd Central finished second with 70 and they advance as individuals who were not on an advancing team along with Emma Rowland of Corydon Central who shot 76 and won the tiebreaker to become the third and final individual qualifier to advance to state.
Porter Dick Tops Field at Stonehenge to Pace Taylor Trojans Men’s Golf
Taylor Freshman, Porter Dick, took first place in the Grace Invitational to help the RV Trojans finish second among seven teams at the single-day tournament. Dick posted scores of 68 and 70 on the par-71 Stonehenge Golf Course, to take medalist honors with a two-round total of 138. The tournament title was the first for Dick in just his third collegiate outing, while giving Dick the Trojans’ top score in back-to-back events. Kyle Kasitz followed closely behind on the leaderboard, tying for third at two strokes off pace after firing a second-round score of 67 to climb the ranks. The Trojans A and B lineups combined to place six inside the top 10 at the event, with Dick and Kasitz being followed by Matthew Albright and Ben Oakley in eighth and Julian Valenti and Austin Craig in tenth. TU took second in the event with scores of 287 and 282, to end at plus-one for the 36 holes. Despite a two-under par round of 282 to close the tournament, the Trojans could not gain ground on Bethel, who came in 13 shots under par to cruise to the team title. RV Taylor will resume its fall campaign on October 7 and 8 at the Egypt Valley Intercollegiate in Ada, Michigan.